The author is an anonymous Christian writer from the late second or early third century CE. Known only as the writer of a single surviving work, To Autolycus, this figure was an apologist who defended the Christian faith to educated pagan audiences. The treatise is addressed to a skeptical friend named Autolycus, indicating the author participated in intellectual debates of the time. The text shows the author was familiar with both the Greek Old Testament and classical Greek literature and philosophy.

The author’s only known work, To Autolycus, is a three-book treatise that argues for the rationality and antiquity of Christianity. It contrasts biblical history with Greek mythology and addresses pagan criticisms concerning God, resurrection, and Christian morality. The work survives complete in a single medieval manuscript. The author is traditionally identified as Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, but this attribution comes from a later note in the manuscript and is considered uncertain by scholars. Because of this, the writer is often called Pseudo-Theophilus.

Modern scholars regard this author as a significant voice in early Christian apologetics. The work provides valuable insight into how early Christians interpreted the Old Testament and constructed a historical argument for their faith. It represents an important effort to engage with Greek intellectual culture and helped shape later theological development, despite the enduring mystery of the author’s true identity.